A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit to the US, a human rights group has obtained summons against him for his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots as state chief minister. Modi is not the first prime minister to be summoned by US court. In 2013, even our former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was summoned by the same court. It really sounds bizarre. Has UN thrown away the concept of sovereignty of the nations in world politics? The summons, if required, should have been served through the Government of India? Why, whenever Indian leaders visit US, are served with such notices? New York based American Justice Centre (AJC) obtained the summons from the US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York in a suit filed by two survivors of what it called the “horrific and organised violence of Gujarat 2002.” Filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA), the 28-page complaint charges Modi with “committing crimes against humanity, extra-judicial killings, torture and inflicting mental and physical trauma on the victims, mostly from the Muslim community.” Anyway, Americans talking about human rights is a laughable matter as they were the people who bombed and are bombing thousands of civilians even right now in middle-east. If you go through, first president Bush should be in jail for destroying Iraq leadership in 2004 when they went to war with their fake claim of WMDs!
The survivors are suing Modi for the loss of lives and trauma in their families, and for causing emotional, financial and psychological devastation in their lives. The Alien Tort Claims Act, also known as Alien Tort Statute (ATS), is a US federal law first adopted in 1789 that gives the federal courts jurisdiction to hear lawsuits filed by US residents for acts committed in violation of international law outside the US. Sikhs for Justice, another human rights group, plans to hold a “Citizens’ Court” in a park in front of the White House to try Modi for his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, when he is holding a summit meeting with President Barack Obama. The group has routinely obtained such summons against visiting Indian leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi. Yet another group, Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA) plans to show Modi black flags when he heads for the Indian-American community’s public reception.
Interesting to note, the US is directly responsible for half the problems in the world especially in Middle East. They single handedly created the ISIS and now they are behind the Arab world to gain support for destroying ISIS which they have created by killing Saddam Hussein (for what reason – no one knows). A Nobel Prize (new category) should be given to Obama for successfully turning Muslims against Muslims. They are directly responsible for the Palestinian problem by supporting Israel in cold blooded murder of women and children. India has its own Judiciary which Indians have faith in. Let the Indian judiciary takes decision on its citizen. This is simply mockery of justice. The American Justice Centre should disclose on oath, who are its members, what their religion is, who funds this Organisation and who are actually behind this motivated campaign to tarnish the image of Indian leaders. The AJC and the concerned Federal Court of New York should have known that PM Modi has been given a clean chit by the Supreme Court, the apex Court of Law in India. And let it be known that the Indian Judicial System is one of the most respected and fair judicial system in the world.
In 2013, as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reached in US on a four-day visit, a Sikh rights group has secured summons against him from a US court in connection with the alleged human rights violations in the counter-insurgency operations in Punjab in the 1990s. “American courts have tools to handle an out-of-control litigant, whose main goal is to use the court’s ministerial act of accepting a complaint, with the USD 350 filing fee paid and then automatically issuing a summons, to falsely imply in pre-made releases that a Court had acted on some merits – when it did no such thing.
What is very interesting to see is the response of BJP supporters. There is lots of outrage on social media. Modi supporters went random against same US Federal Court but when same US court issued summons to Sonia Gandhi during her US visit, these BJP people openly welcomed that despite the fact that Sonia had no direct presence in 1984 riots. While Modi is the main person in 2002 riots, these supporters find it wrong now. A Federal Court in New York had issued summons to Congress president Sonia Gandhi for “shielding and protecting” the leaders of her party who were allegedly involved in the anti-Sikh riots in India in 1984. Entire BJP support group was happy about this news and were over enthusiastic to see, what would be Sonia’s fate in US court. Now, if the same court summons Modi then the entire support group will go crazy with all sorts of abuses and explanation. Let it be Sonia, Manmohan or Modi, we should have equally reacted as they are our leaders, politicians and people have chosen them as our representatives.
